Five of the world's finest chefs on what it feels like to reach the top – and how to stay there

Laura Price

10/08/2017

What does it take to become the very best in the world in your chosen field? How does it feel when you reach the top? And when you’ve achieved greatness, how do you maintain it? We asked these questions to five of the finest chefs on the planet, all of whom own restaurants that have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants over the list's history.

The occasion of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’s 15th Anniversary seemed like the perfect time to gather five cheffing greats in one room. In his hometown of Barcelona, Ferran Adrià, chef-owner of the first ever No.1 in the list, El Bulli, welcomed his fellow cooks Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park (No.1 in 2017), Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana (No.1 in 2016), Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca (No.1 in 2013 and 2015) and René Redzepi of Noma (No.1 in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014).

As part of our new Best and Beyond series, presented by Miele, we asked these global super chefs about what they’ve learned over the course of their careers, how they continually strive for greatness and what nuggets of knowledge they’d like to pass on to future generations. From René Redzepi never truly believing that Noma was the best restaurant in the world to Ferran Adrià admitting he thinks he knows nothing, their answers were sometimes surprising, often entertaining and always inspiring.

Over the next three months, we will be taking you through the motivations and learnings of all seven chefs of the restaurants voted No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’s history, with five special videos released every couple of weeks.

Watch the trailer for Best and Beyond, presented by Miele, and stay tuned for the first video, starring Ferran Adrià, next week.

Laura is responsible for all content across The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The World's 50 Best Bars, including video, websites, live event coverage and the #50BestTalks thought-leadership series. After working for many years as a financial journalist, Laura joined the 50 Best team in 2014 with a view to combining her three main passions: food, travel and writing. Laura has a soft spot for Latin America and has lived in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Ireland. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is also a qualified translator.